[Review] Corsair Vengeance 1500 Dolby 7.1 Gaming Headset

Testing

We paired the Vengeance 1500 Dolby 7.1 Gaming Headset with a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro Series sound card which is 7.1 compliant running on a X-58 platform. We ran multiple games as well as movies, streams, and music to see what the Vengeance 1500 can do.

Gaming

Battlefield Bad Company 2 is without question one of the best games in terms of audio. We tried to run Battlefield 3 on our test rig, but at the time of the review we could not acquire the game. Yeah, we felt the same way you are feeling now about that. : (

The Game’s audio was set to Wartape, and we tried two different settings in our Creative sound card control panel. One test was done with 7.1 speakers option, and the second test was done with the headset option selected. Within the Corsair Control Panel we tried Bypass, Dolby, and 7.1 Speaker shifter options. EQ was set using the F.P.S. Gaming preset.

Overall the sound quality in all our tests was very good. One thing you notice about the headset when using them is that the sound is extremely clear, and clean. We heard little to no distortions regardless of what options we selected. Selecting 7.1 speakers under our Creative control panel seemed to yield the best results, but selecting the headset option was not far behind. We tried setting EQ to default, but selecting F.P.S. preset was better overall. Playing around in the EQ manually did increase sound quality, but actually leaving the EQ at its positions when selecting F.P.S. Gaming was adequate.

While playing MMO’s like DC Universe Online, and Vindictus, using the EQ preset MMO Gaming option, the Vengeance 1500 delivered the same great quality of sound it did when we played our F.P.S. games. The clarity of the sound really shined through here. We heard things in DC Universe Online we didn’t hear using our usual 5.1 surround sound speaker system.

Now the bad news, to some anyways. If you are the type of gamer that loves heavy bass when playing your favorite shooter, the 1500′s are not for you. The bass on the headset is a bit lower then what we have heard on other gaming headsets like the CM Storm Sirus headset. When using the Sirus headset the initial reaction we got from the headset’s bass output was “HOLY SHIT!” It was like you KNEW you were in the middle of a battlefield. With the Corsair Vengeance however that initial “Holy shit” response didn’t happen.

We tried numerous ways to increase the bass which included suggestions from Corsair themselves, but the bass still was a bit low from what we were use to. But even though these aren’t the wall shaking, make you wish you weren’t standing so close to the speakers in the club type bass, the sound quality, which is the best we here at TechReaction have heard from a pair of headsets to date, make up for it. Serious, and pro gamers usually value sound clarity, over thunderous bass when gaming. Bass is good, don’t get us wrong. Some of us on staff prefer heavy bass when playing as we feel it gives us an added immersion into the game we are playing. However most pro gamers would tell you, in regards to F.P.S., or shooter games, they would rather have the ability to hear as clearly as possible an enemy trying to get the drop on you vs. the intensity of a nearby explosion. In this regard the Vengeance 1500′s fit the bill pretty damn well.

Music

We played a number of different genres of music ranging from songs like Rihanna’s “We Found Love” ft. Calvin Harris, Jay-z, and Kanye West’s “Otis”, Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away”, Korn “Freak on a Leash”, and Nicki Minaji’s “Turn Me On”, and a few dance hall reggae tunes. This will help give us a better picture of how the Vengeance 1500′s preform with different types of music. The Corsair control panel EQ preset was set to “Music+Bass”, and “Music Reference” with our Creative sound panel set to headset, and 7.1. speakers.

Again the sound clarity is extremely good, but the bass? Eh. Hardcore audiophiles, and bass lovers will not want to get this headset. They really shouldn’t in the first place as these are gaming headsets, not media specific headsets.

Movies

For this round of testing the EQ preset was set to “Music Reference”, and “Movie-Mod-X(TM)”.

We happen to watch Captain America: The First Avenger, a few episodes of Lost Girl, Bleach (yea yea Bleach haters shut up), and some random video streams on YOUTUBE.

Once again the sound clarity, and overall quality were great. Bass again was not ear drum shattering but it didn’t have to be as we really enjoyed watching our movies / TV selections with the headset. We even caught lines in the movies we watched that we missed during our previous viewings. This was due in part to the clarity of the headset.

Microphone

We tested the microphone using Google talk, Skype, and Heroes of Newert. The sound was great, clear with little to no distortions. While using Google Talk, and Skype no one asked us to turn up, or turn down our mic as the sound came out clear on their end. In regards to Newerth people understood when we told them to run, or attack when a high level player was coming for us low level players.

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Looks like a great headset Pat! I might get a pair to play with, the last Surround headset I had was an Turtle Beach Earforce x51 set. Great sound quality but it required 3-4 3.5mm connections for it. It was not in any way mobile.